Master and Servant
by lastnightidreamt
Summary: An old "friend" of Magnus Bane's makes a sudden appearance in New York, causing sparks to fly between the warlock and his boyfriend. Rated M for Malec smut in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – The Pigeon**

It was winter. The lanes and sidewalks of New York City were laced with swirls of ice, and the dark evening sky hung heavy with cloud. Magnus' numb fingers fumbled with his keys, while Alec trailed gloomily behind him. The frosty silence seemed to mount as they climbed the steps to Magnus' apartment, and Alec slammed the door closed behind them with unnecessary force. The warlock winced at the sound, and turned to face his boyfriend with his arms folded. Alec's face bore the same thunderous expression he had been wearing for the past half hour – his jaw set in a belligerent scowl, his poignant blue eyes glimmering with resentment – but the young Shadowhunter made no comment as he stalked past Magnus and flung himself down on the couch.

"So, are you ready to tell me what you're sulking about?" Magnus asked, frowning as he gazed down at his boyfriend.

"I am not _sulking_," Alec insisted, studying his hands moodily. "I'm fine."

"You are far from fine, Alexander. On our way home you _kicked a pigeon_."

"I didn't kick it, I nudged it with my foot," Alec replied coldly, still refusing to meet his boyfriend's gaze.

"Do you have any concept of the kind of adversity a pigeon faces in its day-to-day life? The cold? The hunger? The social prejudice? I'm sure the poor creature had problems enough without finding itself on the receiving end of one of your tantrums."

"Will you shut up about the damn pigeon?"

"No, I'm going to lecture you about it endlessly until you tell me why you're so mad at me."

Alec let out a shuddering sigh, but said nothing. In truth, Magnus could hazard a fairly competent guess as to why his boyfriend was behaving this way. The pair of them had spent a very pleasant day out together – it had been almost perfect, in fact, so perfect that Magnus really ought to have guessed that something would promptly come along and ruin it all. Sure enough, as they had begun to make their way home, a tall figure had emerged from the crowd and barred their path. It had taken the warlock a few moments to recognize the blond, handsome man before him, which was understandable, as they hadn't seen each other for almost a century. His name was Angelotti – he was a vampire, and an old friend of sorts. Alec stood there in surly silence while Magnus and Angelotti exchanged a few polite but stilted words (no matter how close you'd once been to someone, that intimacy always seemed to wither away in the end, leaving a tentative sort of awkwardness in its place). After a few minutes of decidedly hollow conversation, Angelotti had finally turned his ice-blue gaze upon Alec and extended a cordial greeting, but Alec merely glared coldly at the vampire in reply, before stalking off without a word. Magnus apologized to his friend and bid him a very hasty farewell before hurrying off after the young Shadowhunter, and try as he might, he had not been able to get a civil word out of his boyfriend since.

"You were extremely rude back there, you know," Magnus said at last, remembering the shocked expression on Angelotti's face when Alec had snubbed him.

"What a shame," Alec replied mutinously. "I'd hate to offend the illustrious...what was his name again? Count Biscotti?"

"_Angelotti_," Magnus said, beginning to lose his patience. "And yes, I imagine you probably did offend him. Frankly Alexander, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop insulting and alienating my friends."

"As far as I'm aware, you don't even _have _any friends," Alec exclaimed bitterly. "Just an endless line of lovers and conquests. And don't look at me like that, you can't even deny it! You haven't exactly been living like a nun these past eight hundred years."

"That is not fair," Magnus said, his voice dropping to a low growl.

"Why did you have to tell him where we _live_?" Alec shouted, finally hauling himself to his feet. Magnus stared straight into Alec's eyes, realizing with a jolt that he had never seen his boyfriend quite this angry before. He felt his own temper rising, but forced himself to remain as calm as possible - if _both _of them started shouting, the situation would only escalate.

"I was just being polite," the warlock replied through gritted teeth. "You should try it some time. Anyway, I very much doubt he'll bother visiting."

"Why? What kind of history do you two have, anyway?"

"That's none of your business."

"See, that's exactly the problem, Magnus," Alec cried, his voice cracking with emotion. "Your past is a part of who you are, and you just won't share it with me! How can you expect me to trust you when you won't be honest with me? When you won't even answer a simple question?"

"It wasn't a question, it was an accusation," Magnus replied coldly. "Look, you can't keep punishing me for things that happened before we met, before you were even _born_. The past is nothing to me, it's gone. I know I've lived a long time, I've had a lot of experiences, and that's hard for you to deal with – I get it, I really do – but if you're upset I wish you'd just talk to me about it like a normal person instead of whining and screaming at me like a spoiled brat."

"Better a brat than a whore."

"_What _did you just say to me?" Magnus felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at his boyfriend.

"You heard me," Alec's voice was steady, but his gaze had dropped to the floor. His jaw was still clenched with anger, but something in his stance had softened – his shoulders had slumped a little, and his voice had lost its raw, ragged quality. He was clearly already beginning to regret his words, but was still too annoyed to swallow his pride and admit it. It was strange, but Magnus had always been able to decipher Alec's expressions with astonishing accuracy – perhaps Alec was a remarkably easy person to read, or perhaps Magnus simply knew him very well. In any case, Alexander Lightwood was unfailingly honest, and utterly transparent. He rarely lied, and when he did, his eyes always told the truth. Life taught most people to become sly and duplicitous, to place a mask over their face and let it gradually grow into the skin. Magnus had been hiding behind a facade for many years; lies had always sprung easily to his tongue, when he needed them. But Alec was always true to his emotions, and never uttered empty words just to please people – it was one of the most enchanting things about him, but on occasions like this, it could also be rather exasperating. In some ways, he was the most stubborn person Magnus had ever met.

"Take it back, Alexander," Magnus said, keeping his anger in check with some effort. "I'm giving you one chance. If you take it back right now, then we'll just pretend you never said it."

"No, I won't," Alec answered, with a hint of petulance. "At least not until you tell me the truth about that vampire. Did you sleep with him or not?"

"You know what? I refuse to be dragged into this right now," Magnus sighed, rolling his eyes wearily. "It's late, I'm tired. I need a shower. And then I need to sleep." He turned to leave, but Alec seized his arm.

"_Will you just give me a straight answer, for once_?" Alec asked, sounding thoroughly desperate now.

"Sure I will, the minute you start treating me with some fucking respect."

Magnus tore his arm from Alec's grasp and made his way to the bathroom, leaving his boyfriend staring forlornly after him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – The Apron**

The morning dawned bright and cold. Magnus stirred, and reached out across the bed for Alec, but found only an empty space where his boyfriend ought to be. He opened his eyes, and suddenly the memory of last night's argument came tumbling through his mind. He groaned, and buried his head in the pillow. After lying there for several minutes, a strange smell began to tickle at his nostrils – an unpleasant, burning sort of smell – and he raised his head in alarm. He heaved himself to his feet and shuffled out of the room. His mouth fell open as he entered the kitchen. The place was in disarray (more so than usual) with pots and pans littered about the counters, and a truly evil aroma emanating from the direction of the stove. Alec was in the midst of it all, wearing one of Magnus' rainbow-patterned PVC aprons over his plain dark t-shirt and jeans. He was gazing down mournfully into a frying pan and prodding its indistinguishable contents with a fork.

"What on earth are you doing?" the warlock demanded, so surprised that he almost forgot how mad he was at his boyfriend.

"I wanted to make you breakfast," Alec confessed, spearing what looked like a strip of blackened leather on his fork and eying it sadly. "But I burned the bacon."

"What possessed you, Alexander?" Magnus asked sharply, edging closer to the stove. "I hate to break it to you, but your cooking is even worse than your sister's."

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Alec's mouth for a split second, then his face fell abruptly and he bowed his head, causing his black hair to spill over his eyes. Magnus' heart melted a little, in spite of himself.

"I'm sorry, Magnus," Alec murmured.

"You should be. What have you done to these eggs? They look like djinn vomit."

"_No_, I mean I'm sorry for the way I acted last night," Alec continued, folding his arms defensively across his chest – he looked like a little kid expecting to be yelled at. "You were right, I _was _being a brat."

"I was genuinely tempted to put you over my knee and spank you at one point," Magnus said with a wry smile.

"You know what? If I ever act like that again you have my full permission."

"_Really_?" Magnus asked, his eyes lighting up, but Alec only took the warlock's hand tentatively in his own. His face was pale and serious.

"I hope you know I didn't mean the things I said," Alec said after a long pause, squeezing Magnus' fingers gently.

"Yes you did," Magnus replied, and he pulled his hand from Alec's grasp. "You almost always mean the things you say. I don't doubt that you regret saying it, but you certainly meant it at the time."

"No, you're wrong, I was just lashing out because I was angry, and…jealous. I was jealous, OK?" He spoke almost breathlessly, as if each word cost him a great effort. "You have no idea what it's like to feel like this, how could you? You've never been inferior to anyone in your life."

"Oh Alec," Magnus rubbed his eyes wearily. "You're not inferior and you never were. Please don't say that."

Magnus could see the tears gathering in his boyfriend's dark blue eyes, and almost without thinking he reached out and took Alec in his arms, realizing as he did so that his anger had already faded completely. They stood locked together for a long moment.

"I can't believe I kicked that pigeon," Alec said, quite out of the blue.

"Relax, you only nudged it with your foot," Magnus replied with a grin, and he placed a soft kiss on Alec's forehead.

"And I know I shouldn't have ignored your friend," Alec continued, resting his head against Magnus' shoulder. "I'll apologize, if I see him again. He didn't do anything wrong. I just couldn't stand the way he was looking at you, he was _clearly _into you."

"Well that just shows how paranoid you are," Magnus laughed, stepping back a little and looking straight into Alec's eyes. "For your information, Angelotti and I were never anything more than friends. We were pretty close for a while, back in the twenties, but that was almost a century ago. We've never had sex, never even kissed."

"You're kidding," Alec raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Oh my God, you really do think I've slept with every single person I've ever met, don't you?" Magnus demanded.

"No, it's not that," Alec insisted hurriedly. "It's just, there was such a weird atmosphere between you two. Whatever you say, he was _not _looking at you in a platonic way. And you were so...secretive about it afterwards."

"No I wasn't," Magnus said, a little more sharply than he had intended. "I'd have told you anything you wanted to know if you'd only behaved in a vaguely rational manner. And if it puts your mind at ease, Angelotti is not, and has never been, romantically interested in me. He's _straight – _in fact he's one of the most prolific womanizers I've ever met, or he was when _I _knew him anyway. So you can stop freaking out now, OK?"

"OK," Alec said after a short pause. Magnus suspected his boyfriend wasn't entirely convinced, and was merely biting his tongue to avoid another argument, but as long as the matter was dead and buried he didn't much care.

"Good," Magnus replied, brushing Alec's hair out of his eyes. "Lets get down to business then, shall we?"

"What business?"

"You still have _a lot _of making up to do, my darling," Magnus said, grinning wickedly. "Breakfast was a...a very sweet gesture, but sadly the only thing those eggs are good for is chemical warfare. So you might have to devise another way of sweetening me up."

Alec's lips curled into a shy smile as he drew very close and planted a series of soft kisses on Magnus' cheek. The warlock tilted back his head a little as Alec's mouth moved downwards to trace the line of his jaw, and caress the smooth skin of his throat. Desire thrummed through him like a faint electrical charge, and he seized his boyfriend by the shoulders and drew him into a fierce kiss, nipping Alec's lower lip between his teeth. Their bodies were close now, and Magnus could feel Alec's heart racing against his own chest like the wings of a caged bird. For some time they stood locked together, consumed by the force of their kiss, until Alec eventually began to fumble awkwardly with the strings of his apron and tried to shrug the thing off, but Magnus caught him firmly by the arms.

"Leave the apron on, Alexander," he whispered hurriedly between kisses. "It's really doing it for me."

Alec's eyes widened a little, but he did as he was told. Magnus drew a sharp breath as Alec's hands snaked down his chest and hovered at the waistband of his pink silk pajamas. The Shadowhunter's slim fingers inched their way downwards to gently caress his cock, rubbing back and forth through the soft fabric. A low growl rumbled at the back of the warlock's throat as he allowed Alec to press him hard against the wall. At that moment the phone began to ring, but they both did their best to ignore it.

"Whoever it is, they'll just have to call back," Alec mumbled, as he sank slowly to his knees and gave his boyfriend a long, lingering look from beneath his thick dark lashes. Magnus twined his fingers through Alec's tousled hair, almost giddy with lust. But unfortunately, whoever it was on the other end of the line seemed determined not to be ignored, and the phone continued to ring and ring. Magnus glanced over at it irritably.

"Just ignore it, they'll go away," Alec said, slipping his fingers beneath the waistband of Magnus' pajamas and beginning to draw them carefully down.

"Ugh, just wait there _one minute_ honey, OK?" Magnus groaned, sidestepping his boyfriend and shuffling awkwardly – given that he now had a fairly substantial erection – towards the phone.

"_Magnus!"_ Alec protested, looking rather offended.

"I swear, I'm just getting rid of them," he replied, grabbing the phone and pressing it impatiently to his ear. "Hi. Look this is _not_ a good time, could you call back in –" but then he broke off abruptly. Alec watched in growing annoyance as a distant voice buzzed away on the other end of the line, unable to catch a word of what was said. Magnus' brow furrowed as he listened. "Fine…fine," the warlock said at last, his shoulders slumping in resignation. "But this had better be good."

Magnus hung up, and turned silently to his boyfriend, who had now hauled himself to his feet and planted his hands firmly on his hips. Magnus had to force himself to keep a straight face. Despite the distinctly humorless expression on Alec's face, it was hard to take him seriously in his current attire.

"Who was that?" The Shadowhunter demanded, though from his sharp tone, Magnus gathered that he had already guessed.

"Well don't freak out, but it was Angelotti," he said. "He needs to see me. Some kind of emergency. He didn't want to explain over the phone."

"So you're going to drop everything and run straight over there just because he snapped his fingers?"

"There was no finger-snapping involved, I assure you," Magnus commented wryly. "And he can hardly visit me here, given that he's a member of the undead and would end up in a worse state than that bacon of yours if he so much as steps foot outside before nightfall."

"How did he even get your number?"

"Oh how should I know, Alexander? He must have asked around. You were _there_ last night, you know I never gave it to him."

Alec merely shrugged, though he was obviously very far from pleased.

"Look, I'm sorry," Magnus said gently. "I shouldn't be long. But I have to go and get ready now, apparently he's sending one of his – _people_ over to collect me, and they'll be here any minute."

"His _people_…he has servants?"

"I think minions would be a more fitting description," Magnus waved a hand idly. "Yes I know, he's a prize-winning douchebag, but listen…all douchebaggery aside, when I spoke to him just now, he sounded concerned. Really concerned. I've never heard him sound like that in all the years I've known him. I honestly doubt he'd bother me unless it was important. And – oh crap, there's the door-bell – would you get that, Alec?"

"Why me?"

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, I still have a raging hard-on – entirely your fault of course – and if I answered the door right now our guest would either be horribly offended, uncontrollably aroused, or would try to use me as a coat-hook. So _please_, Alexander, do this one thing for me?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and hurried off to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him in his haste.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – The Woman in White

When Alec opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with a small, pale woman dressed from head-to-toe in immaculate white – from her elegantly tailored, knee-length coat to the polish on her carefully manicured nails, and the supple suede boots that clung to her slender calves. Her hair (the palest possible shade of gold) was drawn back into a tidy bun and sprinkled with shimmering white gemstones. Although she was fine-boned and beautiful, the effect was vaguely alarming, and her incongruously blue eyes stood out vividly against her colorless face. Despite her unusual appearance, however, she showed no sign of being anything other than human – she was certainly no Nephilim, and she bore no warlock's mark.

"I am here to collect warlock Bane," she said, eying Alec a little dubiously. "Master Angelotti sent me."

"I think…he'll be ready in a minute," Alec stammered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he realized he was still wearing Magnus' rainbow-patterned apron. "Come in."

Alec showed her into the apartment, and the woman remained silent as she gazed rather disdainfully about the place. There was something oddly threatening in her movements and gestures, almost predatory, despite her diminutive stature – her expensive-looking boots added a good four inches to her height and yet the top of her head was only level with Alec's shoulder.

"Please, sit down," Alec said awkwardly. "I'll just go check on Magnus."

He gave the woman one last wary glance – she hadn't accepted his invitation to take a seat, and was merely stood watching him like a haughty alabaster statue – and made his way up to the bedroom. He found Magnus decked out in a fabulous fuchsia-colored cape, tight leather pants and a sleeveless t-shirt that left a good few inches of midriff on display. The warlock stood preening before an ornate mirror, applying his startling purple eyeliner with careful precision.

"Making yourself pretty for _him_, are you?" Alec said, unable to prevent the bitterness from creeping into his voice.

"I'm making myself pretty, certainly, but not for _his_ benefit. Or yours. Or anyone else's for that matter. If you start trying to make me feel guilty for wanting to look my best, we're going to fall out again. And it's going to take more than a few cremated eggs to fix it." The warlock spoke calmly, but Alec could sense his boyfriend's impatience.

"I'm not…I didn't mean it like that," Alec mumbled. He cursed himself silently – why did he always have to say the wrong thing? When he thought about it rationally, he knew that Magnus had done nothing to betray him. But he simply couldn't control that cold, awful panic that kept clawing away at him from the inside, the panic that rose up at odd times and filled him with a blinding fear. He knew he was being ridiculous, that he was only alienating Magnus by behaving like this, yet somehow, there were times when he was unable to stop himself. And whatever Magnus said to reassure him, there was something about that vampire he simply didn't trust, and something his boyfriend clearly wasn't telling him, but he couldn't think of any way to frame his questions that wouldn't sound like an accusation.

"Look, would it put your mind at ease if you came with me?" Magnus asked, clearly sensing Alec's distress. "To Angelotti's house, I mean?"

"I…I guess," Alec admitted. "But it's not that I don't trust you, Magnus."

"I know. It's that you can't see me talking to another person – living or undead – without getting insanely jealous. It'd be almost cute if it weren't so annoying," he suddenly stopped arranging his hair in the mirror and turned to face Alec with an unusually stern expression on your face. "I shouldn't really be bringing you with me, you know. Customers tend to expect some level of privacy, and Angelotti may well be offended. I'm only doing this so you can see there's nothing between me and him. Nothing at all. And afterwards, you have to stop this, do you understand? You have to learn to trust me. Once you've seen that you have nothing to worry about, you've _got_ to let it go."

"OK," Alec replied.

"And you'd better promise not to be rude," Magnus continued in the same steely, determined tone of voice. He was looking Alec very hard in the eye, and Alec couldn't help but feel a little shiver of desire run through him – he had always secretly admired that dark, masterful side to Magnus, the side the warlock so often concealed beneath his effervescent personality. There was hidden strength in him, an implacable core of power and secrecy that no one ever seemed to touch. It unsettled Alec at times, gave him the impression he was sailing on perilous waters with dark shadows drifting beneath him and no notion of what might happen next, but it attracted him too. And when Magnus looked at him like this – impaling him with those bright, feline eyes – Alec felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

"I promise," he said.

After a long limo ride, during which Alec gazed out of the window while Magnus exchanged stilted small-talk with the woman in white (who turned out to be named, rather fittingly, Bianca), they arrived at last before the gates of Angelotti's mansion. It was a grand, imposing edifice with white pillars on either side of the ornate double-doors. Bianca rapped the bronze door-knocker once, and within several seconds the doors slid soundlessly apart to admit them into the building, though there was no one waiting on the other side. Alec, who had seen enough of Magnus' stash of campy old horror movies to find this funny, let out a muffled giggle.

"Oh come _on_, he's playing kinda fast and loose with the vampire clichés isn't he?" Alec laughed, though he stopped short when Magnus threw him a warning look. Bianca eyed him coldly, narrowing her bright eyes in anger. She looked ready to tear him to pieces. "I mean…this is a lovely house," he amended lamely. This much at least was true – every inch of the hallway in which they stood was festooned in luxurious furnishings and ornamentation. Alec had never seen so much wealth and splendor hoarded in one place.

At that moment, a door swung open and a young woman stood before them, framed in eerie artificial radiance. This being a vampire's abode, there was no natural light to be seen, and all the windows were muffled in heavy drapes, though this woman was clearly no vampire herself. Like Bianca, she was seemingly a mundane, and she was swathed in a florid red ball-gown which trailed copiously to her feet in sleek, glimmering folds. Her waist-length hair was dyed a stunning shade of red. She was beautiful, with wondrous dark eyes and a heart-shaped face.

"Ah, Scarlett," Magnus smiled as he greeted the girl. "How long has it been? Eighty years?"

"Warlock Bane," she said politely, inclining her head. "You know it's rude to indicate a lady's age."

"Of course, dear, my apologies," Magnus said softly. "Now, I assume Angelotti is skulking about somewhere?"

"I shall summon our master," Bianca replied stiffly, casting a final disapproving look towards Alec, whom she had clearly taken a strong disliking to. "Scarlett, if you would see our _guests_ into the parlor?"

Scarlett led them into a very grand room furnished in red and gold, and invited them to sit down. Alec perched himself on the edge of the couch and watched as Scarlett drifted dreamily from the room.

"What's with the color-coded names?" he asked, once he and Magnus were alone.

"Oh, Angelotti likes to give his human subjugates themed names," the warlock replied. "He used to call them his rainbow harem, or something like that."

"Human subjugates? Isn't that illegal?" Alec spluttered.

"It's illegal to create them now, but they've been with him for as long as I can remember," Magnus said with an idle wave of his hand. "All seven of them."

"Seven?" Alec repeated.

"Oh indeed, Angelotti always was prone to excess, particularly where ladies are concerned…one time, in Venice, I saw him gather a full dozen of them together and-"

But Alec never heard the gory details of Angelotti's exploits in Venice, as the man himself suddenly appeared in the doorway and Magnus stopped short. The vampire was dressed in a sumptuous silken robe, and didn't appear to be wearing much – if anything – underneath it. The neckline hung very low on his torso, revealing the tight contours of his chest. His golden hair was so elegantly tousled Alec suspected he had spent some time arranging it beforehand, and he suddenly felt acutely conscious of his own hair, which he had not even bothered to drag a comb through today.

"Greetings, friends," the vampire purred in his deep, melodious voice. "Magnus, and…Andrew, was it?"

"Alec." The Shadowhunter replied curtly. He was unsure whether Angelotti was actively trying to insult him or merely found him so dull that his name did not seem worth remembering.

"Of course. Do forgive me," he responded, not sounding remorseful in the slightest. "I say, but you do make a splendid couple, you two. I am most thrilled for you, Magnus. Of course you've had so many lovers over the years, my dear friend, yet this one plainly holds a special place in your heart. I see it written all over you."

"Perceptive as always, Angelotti," Magnus replied delicately. "Now, I assume you summoned me here for a purpose."

"Lorks, how dull you've become," Angelotti droned, his full lips curling into a bright smile. He had the kind of smile that transformed his face, so dazzling that he almost seemed to radiate warmth and geniality. Yet he was sullen in repose, and a certain coldness seemed to steal into his countenance; the hollows beneath his cheekbones deepened, and the lines of his face hardened. Although Alec's dislike for the vampire was growing by the second, he had to privately admit that Angelotti was stunningly beautiful – the curves and planes of his finely-sculpted features bore a natural elegance Alec couldn't help but envy. He himself was blessed with none of that grace, that grandeur, he would never know what it was to enter a room and see a multitude of faces turn to stare in admiration. Although it wasn't necessarily something he craved, he wished suddenly that he could understand what it felt like, just for one moment. He had always felt safer hiding on the edge of things, invisible and unnoticed. Growing up with Jace and Izzy, his own wallflower status had been practically set in stone. Jace had always possessed the kind of searing magnetism that drew people toward him like moths to a flame, and Izzy was the most stunning girl he knew – she wielded her beauty like a weapon. And then came Magnus, who had shot into his life like a bolt of lightning, and burned just as bright. Alec had grown so accustomed to being overlooked that it had seemed strange and almost terrifying when Magnus' eyes had first fixed upon him. But he had never been able to shake off that sense of inferiority, that sheer disbelief that anyone as vibrant and alluring as Magnus would think him worthy of their time, let alone _love_ him. It had seemed like a dream – the kind of gorgeous, delicate dream that always came to him on the verge of waking, when consciousness was just beginning to trickle through his mind. Those were the worst kind of dreams, when he knew perfectly well that he would wake any minute and that none of the things before his eyes were real, but he clung to them anyway, willing himself not to wake. But he always did. And sometimes, when Magnus looked at him, he felt that he was clinging to a desperate fantasy that became more fragile by the minute, that any day now he would open his eyes and Magnus would be gone.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a third human subjugate appeared – this one lavishly draped in verdant green – and offered the three of them refreshments, which they all declined.

"Let me guess…Cabbage?" Alec asked, once the woman had flitted from the room.

"Her name is _Ivy_," Angelotti responded tersely. It was _his_ turn to look offended now, and Alec felt a little thrill of satisfaction at the vampire's obvious annoyance. "Now, shall we proceed?"

"I'm ready when you are," Magnus said, his expression unreadable.

"I'm afraid my matter is of a somewhat…delicate nature," Angelotti said carefully. "I must speak with you _alone_, Magnus. Would you care to accompany me to my private chamber? Your little friend may remain here."

Angelotti rose smoothly to his feet and strutted from the room without so much as a glance at Alec. Magnus gave a brief sigh and followed him, giving Alec's hand a gentle squeeze before he left. Alec slumped down moodily on the couch, growing increasingly annoyed and agitated as the minutes passed, and Magnus did not reappear. Several times he climbed to his feet and began to pace the length of the elegant room, but he always ended up collapsing back down into the same position, twiddling his thumbs and trying to prevent his thoughts from tumbling down the same dark, destructive paths as before. He tried to dismiss his suspicions, his doubts, but instead they only seemed to grow and fester at the back of his mind until he almost started yelling aloud. By the time Magnus finally re-appeared he was practically frantic – he didn't know precisely what he was afraid of, only that he was afraid – and the warlock's unreadable demeanor did little to alleviate his fear and suspicion. They did not speak on the journey home, and merely sat in brooding silence under the watchful gaze of Bianca, each of them lost in their own private thoughts.

A/N - not the best chapter, I know, but things should get more interesting from here!


End file.
